Alex McQuire
1999/181 Alex McQuire interviewed at his home by Dr Heather Holmes on 11/11/1999
000 Film made of the last days of Nelsons
018 Party night in Suffolk Hall Hotel; time of event; extent
034 Litho department and size; annual dinner; account of film
051 Theme of film; name of filmmaker; party for litho department
070 Atmosphere of litho department
072 Party and talents of individuals; reminiscing
089 Meeting between workers and management
092 Time between notification of closure and closure; moving out of machines to Morrison and Gibb
101 Transfer of workers to Morrison and Gibb and Johnson; duplication of jobs
111 Some workers made redundant; some went to Morrison and Gibb
117 Criteria for movement of workers
126 Names and specification of machines taken down
140 Duplication of workers
148 Reaction of Morrison and Gibb workers to Nelson workers; differences in wage rates; friction at start
156 Expression of friction; remedy of different wage levels
165 Working with Morrison and Gibb men
176 Names of Nelson and Morrison and Gibb workers
180 Starting at Nelsons; date; companies employed for; getting a job through the union
193 Interview in Artisan Bar; account of interview
198 Differences in rates between Waddie and Nelson; wage incentives in Nelson
206 Work in Nelsons as a promotion; became shift foreman
212 Types of work undertaken in Waddies
215 Work in Nelsons on a single colour machine; titles of works printed
221 Lot of work in Swahili
221 Moving onto different machines
224 Status of working with two colour Rolland; promotion
228 Nelsons one of first firms in Scotland to have four colour machine; introduction of four colour machine
238 Comparison of technological standards in litho department compared to other departments
243 Installation of four colour machine
247 Labour organisation on machines
256 Differences in role between first assistant and second assistant; roles of first printer
264 Number of journeymen; shiftworking
273 Training of assistants
277 Work of assistants, scope and nature
284 All assistants were males
285 Assistants had a heavy job
290 Service support staff for four colour machine
300 Nelsons engineers and their work
303 Settling in period for four colour machine
318 Creasing paper; stopping paper creases
325 Paper handling; paper with a certain humidity
331 Temperature of paper and impact of printing; humidifiers installed; work method
339 Bringing paper out of store; relations between printing industry and paper industry; place of paper storage
345 Sources of paper for Nelson books
352 Types of paper; differences in working with paper types; problems with working with papers
359 Working with art paper; printing Robert Carrier cookbook; high prestige job; difficulties of working with spray; washing blankets; other print jobs
392 Pride in Robert Carrier cookbook
398 Debate about the work produced; assistance with problems from other printers
407 Working with a range of types of papers; types
414 Bible work and difficulties
422 Effick Bible; difficulties of working with paper
429 Merit scheme; outline of scheme; introduction and reasons for introduction
455 Pay rates for shift work; wage rates after hours and for specific shifts
468 Night shift work
473 Changes in work in Nelsons; finding work
484 Changes in nature of work
490 Reactions to changes in Nelsons work; titles of works printed; experience of working with different jobs
505 Work on two colour machine; titles; problems with work
518 Print system of printers
521 Varying standards of printers
543 Pulling sheets; checking quality
549 Fussy customers; importance of standards; relations with customers
569 Contact with customer; customer comment system
584 Reprinting jobs
607 Printers made their own decision
624 Difficulties with customers
633 Move to four colour machine; advantages of new machine
646 Quality and service important; customers congratulated the firm for their work; happy place to work
667 Nelson attracted good staff
671 No difficulty of getting into Nelsons; need to have a proper work attitude
687 Movement between departments; no movement between departments
692 Structures of work; instructions from foreman
698 Nightshift work; making decisions at night
705 Stressful being on nightshift
723 Difficulties of working on nightshift; making decisions; sometimes wrong decision made
734 Changeover of shifts; overlap of labour; discussion of work and work progress; shift patterns
746 Changeovers; preparations for shift changeover
757 Camaraderie; annual trip; dances; stag nights
760 Annual trip; Waddies had an annual trip
765 Closure of Nelsons; pleasant atmosphere in Nelsons
770 Age of men in litho department; comparison to other departments
782 Rivalry of departments; different levels of wages
788 Comparison of litho to letterpress; differences in wages
806 Little unrest over conditions; Fraser Hopewell and resentment
826 Changes in upper management; names; character of some of management
852 Chapel; positions on committee; payment and rate of dues
864 Benefits from contribution; sick schemes; superannuation
874 Social functions of union; work with old age pensioners
889 Changes in the trade
893 Contact with retired people through union; dinners
903 Chapel annual trip; trip to Largs
905 Strength of chapel; relations with management
912 Relations between chapel and management; winning and losing
925 Working machines when workers absent; changing ratios of men on machines
904 Father of Chapel; relations with others in chapel
951 Union work; demands on employers
959 Treatment and attitudes towards FOC by management
END